Tao Ying breathed a sigh of relief. He was most worried that Sun Ce and Liu He would make peace, and if they made peace, the Tao family father and son would not want to take back Xiapi and Guangling. Just now seeing that Sun Ce was so enthusiastic about Lu Dai, he was worried that Sun Ce would betray the alliance, but now seeing Sun Ce's businesslike expression, the big stone in his heart was half lowered.

At least Sun Ce subjectively had no intention of negotiating with Liu He, even if this Lu Dai was a figure he admired. Thinking of this, Tao Ying felt that he had learned another trick. As a monarch, you can't just bury your head in government affairs and military affairs, but also pay attention to people's hearts. Sun Ce had a large-scale fine work camp under him, and he knew that Lu Dai must have inquired about it. As the lord of Xuzhou, neither of them had heard of Lu Dai, but Sun Ce knew it clearly.

Whether this Lu Dai is talented or not, under Sun Ce's warm reception, he still does not forget Liu He's entrustment, and still wholeheartedly acts as a lobbyist for Liu He, which is very difficult. It's a shame that such a loyal person didn't fail to be used by him.

Tao Ying looked at Lu Dai with mixed feelings. Lu Dai also felt a little difficult, he met Sun Ce smoothly, Sun Ce's enthusiasm moved him, but Sun Ce's attitude towards Liu He made him very uneasy, and it was not easy to complete this task. Even if he was well prepared, he was a little apprehensive at the moment.

"General, Liu Gongheng does not have the qualifications to make peace with the general, but Liu Gongheng has the qualifications to make the general sleep."

"Oh?" Sun Ce dragged out his voice and said with a smile: "I wish to hear the high opinion of the public." ”

Lu Fan settled down and talked eloquently. Liu He occupied the two counties of Xiapi and Guangling, with more than 30,000 soldiers, sufficient grain and grass, and more than 2,000 cavalry. If he invaded Peiguo and Jiujiang, Sun Ce's right rib would be uneasy, and it would be difficult for him to concentrate on the north. If Sun Ce takes the initiative to attack, the cities of Xiapi, Xuyi, Huaiyin, and Guangling are enough to resist and defend, even if Sun Ce is heavily besieged, it will not be able to conquer it in half a year. In the case of Yuan Shao's troops pressing the border, Sun Ce obviously did not have such time and energy.

Lu Fan said unhurriedly, reasonably, and before he finished speaking, Tao Ying was already a little panicked, and his forehead was full of cold sweat. He felt that Lu Fan was reasonable, Liu He could attack and defend, Sun Ce had no way to defeat him for the time being, for Sun Ce, it was undoubtedly the wisest way to negotiate with Liu He and stabilize Liu He first. But in this way, their father and son are in great trouble.

Sun Ce smiled slightly and shook his head. "What Dinggong said, it does sound a little reasonable, but with all due respect, Liu He only saw those Yuzhou families who defected to him, thinking that Yuzhou's vitality was greatly damaged, but he didn't know that those people were just sores on Yuzhou's body, and their departure seemed to make Yuzhou bloody, but in fact, this is just an illusion, Dinggong should have seen it very clearly along the way."

Lu Fan was silent. As soon as the connoisseur stretches out his hand, he will know if there is one. Sun Ce was not intimidated by his rhetoric, but was a little disappointed in his performance, seemingly criticizing Liu He, but actually criticizing him, only seeing the appearance of the problem, but not seeing the trend of Yuzhou's rapid recovery. Sun Ce is right, the departure of those Yuzhou families is not a bad thing for Yuzhou, they are just parasites, and their departure will only make Yuzhou stronger.

Sun Ce bowed slightly. "It's useless to say more. Dinggong, I will use practical actions to prove to you how vulnerable Liu He is. It's June, and the autumn harvest is still two months away. I will complete the transfer within a month. If Liu He really wants to seek peace, pay attention, it is peace, not peace, and he still has a chance before my men enter Xiapi. When one of the soldiers of our army steps into the Xiapi realm, I will ignore whatever he says, and I will see it on the battlefield. ”

Sun Ce picked up the teacup and nodded to Lu Fan. "I have heard the name of Dinggong for a long time, and I should have stayed in Dinggong for a few days, but I am busy with affairs and can't stay for a long time. I hope to have the opportunity to meet Dinggong next time. I don't think this day will be long. ”

Seeing that Sun Ce was sending off the guests directly, he had no interest in talking about it at all, so Lu Fan had to get up and say goodbye. He went out the door and sighed to himself. Although the time I met Sun Ce was short, I felt a lot of emotion. The enthusiasm of fire, the calmness of ice, could be so harmoniously assembled in one person, and it was a young man who had just been weakly crowned, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it anyway.

Is Liu He qualified to make peace with Sun Ce? It really doesn't seem to be. Now that Sun Ce had issued an ultimatum, Lu Fan did not dare to delay, and immediately wrote a long letter, detailing what he had seen and heard, and sent someone to send it back to Xuyi to report to Liu He. He himself stayed in Pingyu, while inquiring about Pingyu's situation as a guest of the ceremony, while waiting for the opportunity to meet Sun Ce again, hoping to persuade him to complete the task.

Lu Fan left, Tao Ying was completely relieved, but he was a little puzzled. "General, does the Queen of Autumn really want to defeat Pi?"

Sun Ce put away his smile, looked at Tao Ying, and said after a while: "Brother Zhongyun, how many men and horses can Xuzhou provide, how much grain and grass?" ”

Tao Ying was surprised and delighted. He was waiting for Sun Ce's decision, but he didn't expect Sun Ce to make up his mind so quickly. However, Sun Ce's question is not easy to answer. What kind of tactics to use, how many troops to send, how many infantry, how many cavalry, how long the combat period is, and how much baggage to prepare are all issues to be considered. Now that it involves the joint operation of the two parties, there are more issues to consider, not to mention that he can't be the master of Xuzhou, so he must discuss with his father Tao Qian.

Tao Ying is very sincere. I can't decide on this matter, and if the general has a strategy, I can ask for instructions as soon as possible and strive to fully cooperate with the general's actions.

Sun Ce praised Tao Ying a few words, and asked him to discuss the battle strategy with Pang Tong and others. Tao Ying was overjoyed, no matter whether it could be formed in the end or not, this was a sign that Sun Ce regarded him as his own person. With this foundation, it will only be him who will cooperate with Sun Ce, not his brother potter.

Sun Ce had a lot of people to meet, and Tao Ying was inconvenient to stay longer, so he took the initiative to leave. went out and came to the vestibule, Wang Lang, who was waiting in the courtyard, greeted him and said to Tao Ying: "General, who was that Lu Dinggong just now?" ”

Tao Ying said: "Hailing native Lu Fan Lu Dinggong, Liu He's envoy, General Sun knows him very well and is very polite to him, so he personally greeted him. Brother Jingxing, have you heard of this person? ”

Wang Lang thought for a moment. "I seem to have heard Zhao Yuanda (Zhao Yu) mention it."

Tao Ying was a little displeased. Zhao Yu knew this person, and did not recommend it to their father and son, but recommended this person to Liu He's side, and he was indeed a rebel. Wang Lang had heard of Lu Fan, and he had never mentioned it in front of him, so he didn't care at all.

Wang Lang saw that Tao Ying's expression was wrong, a little inexplicable, and he didn't think much about it, and then asked about Lu Fan's intentions. Tao Ying told Liu He how he wanted to negotiate but was rejected by Sun Ce. After hearing this, Wang Lang was shocked. "General, you can't hear it wrong, General Sun is bent on preparing for the war against Yuan Shao, how can he free up his hands to attack Liu He?"

Tao Ying couldn't hold back the resentment in his heart. "Brother Jingxing, do you doubt General Sun's sincerity, or do you doubt General Sun's ability? Or, do you want to be a lobbyist for Liu He? ”

Wang Lang's face was red and his ears were red, he was speechless, and said with a sigh of anticipation: "General, what are you ...... Why? ”

Tao Ying ignored him and walked away.